The Remnants of the Day
by AnonM1ss
Summary: Sesshoumaru finds himself changing thoughts he presumed were irreparable as he watches his young ward grow and develop... certain skills [S+R]
1. Prologue

The Remnants of the Day

Prologue

            It had inexplicably started once she reached puberty. She lay on her futon, her hair tumbling like black ink over pristine paper; her dark eyes wide open as she stared at the ceiling. For a second, she felt a tingling feeling, like the prickling of skin when a breeze brushes against the nape of one's neck, or when one experiences the remarkable, weighty calm before a storm. Then she felt a flash of images invade her mind, and a scream—an endless scream tearing out of her throat as she convulsed on her bed, features pale and eyes wide. Jaken had rushed into the room, his eyes bulging when he saw the state the young girl was in. Taking a gulp as he watched her slender body twitch, the small toad demon sped out of the room, calling out fretfully, "Sesshoumaru-sama! Rin-chan is possessed!" 

            The aforementioned demon lord had heard the girl's screams from the first, getting up slowly from the lounge room near his quarters and walked with a feral grace, his amber gaze calm. By the time he had reached his younger companion's room, the screaming had ceased and Sesshoumaru looked into the room with cold, detached eyes, unprepared for the sight that met his eyes. The young girl was making the furniture around her levitate, her normally dark eyes shining brightly in a haze. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened just to a slight degree as he watched Rin shiver uncontrollably. Suddenly, all had stopped as abruptly as it had started. Rin fell back exhausted against her futon, her dark hair snaking over the pillows, her small chest heaving as she withdrew into a fitful sleep. The lord watched her until her breathing became even; his curiosity peaked as he gazed over at the girl's slumbering features. What had elicited such a change? At this, he mentally shrugged: it does not matter; he would inquire of it over the next day. 

            Rin shivered when she woke up, her face gleaming in the pale sunlight. She felt unaccountably tired, her strength sapped from… Kami-sama knows what. Sitting up, she noticed that a lot of her possessions seemed out of place, to say the least. Her dresser was overturned, and the full-length mirror had shattered, her clothes laying in a haphazard mess on the floor. Her youthful features settled for a muddled appearance, her expressive eyes filled with good-natured curiosity. Well, she clearly seemed to have a nighttime visitor. Chuckling lightly, Rin thought of several culprits. Why, there was always Sanami-chan or Aejin-kun. Or possibly Geisuke-kun. Sesshoumaru-sama possessed a considerable amount of human slaves, but that didn't keep Rin from befriending the slave children. At first, her lord would lift a slender eyebrow, his bearing of mild condescendence when he had caught Rin chasing some of her human friends around the castle. Upon hearing Jaken scold her for debasing herself to "their level", Rin had replied with a mild smile, "Why, isn't 'their level' also my level? Just because I choose to follow Sesshoumaru-sama and he chooses to let me does not hide the fact that I am wholly human." She then gave her lord's faithful lackey a friendly noogie before coaxing her frightened friends to resume their play. At hearing Rin's youthful straightforwardness in seeing the world, Sesshoumaru nearly smiled. Nearly. The girl had a strong sense of belonging—even though she had been severely abused by her own kind and had to give up her life among them for the solace of a life with demons, she had kept a strong loyalty to humans as well as the new demons she had befriended. The slave parents had been skeptical of her friendship with their children at first. If angered, their families could be torn apart by a single word. And yet, she was not of unmanageable spirits or irrational behavior. Although she possessed a streak of mischief, she would do nothing that would endanger her friends. In time, even the slave adults had come to like her, greeting her with a smile or a nod of respect. In many eyes, she seemed to have a sort of openness that encouraged any one true of heart to gather around her and take part in her joy. There was only one who could not or _would not_ see that. Getting up with a tired smile, Rin spruced herself up and dragged her protesting body to the dining halls where she hoped to see her Sesshoumaru-sama. 

            Her lord was of a restless spirit, often staying within his domains for but a few days before leaving mysteriously on another journey. Sometimes he would take her with him, but lately, he seemed more inclined to making her stay. When she asked why, the youkai ladies-in-waiting twittered with amusement before saying something about her monthly bleeding. It was a subject that apparently fascinated the female youkai, since it was a characteristic unique to female humans and mammals. That, they concluded, was irrefutable proof of the savagery and brute animalistic lowliness humans had. After having voiced this aloud, the ladies hushed suddenly, gazing down at Rin with unsettled or frightened eyes. Rin merely shrugged, her dark eyes indifferent as she responded in her clear voice, "Perhaps we do have a closer connection in that sense. But," she added, raising a slender finger upwards to make her point, "We also have something that does not seem to come to youkai easily." 

            One of the more bold and disdainful ladies looked down upon the small girl, her icy green eyes sparkling with contemptuous interest, "And that is?"

            Rin ignored the other lady's sneering before plowing onwards, "Compassion, remorse…" she stopped, a little less sure of herself as the ladies let out whoops of laughter, "…love." She ended decisively, her dark eyes firm even as her spirit cringed internally. 

            The jade-eyed beauty peered down upon the midnight-haired girl; her lip curled daintily, "I think we are all better off with such… trifling issues. Honestly," she commented as if in helpless mirth, "you are such a strange little being! I wonder what Sesshoumaru-sama sees in you." 

Rin gazed up at her with a set smile on her face, even as she felt like she had been made the fool a thousand times over again. Luckily, Sesshoumaru-sama had been passing by and had witnessed the whole scene from afar, watching his brave Rin face the youkai women with barefaced honesty. Without a word, he swept into the waiting room and summoned the young girl to his side with an imperious gesture, ignoring the simpering curtseys and beguiling looks the women cast at him. He turned to leave, but not before turning to give the green eyed lady in waiting a cold look and saying simply, "You are dismissed from your duties."

            Running to catch up with her lord, Rin smiled up at him, talking animatedly as she followed him down the long hall. Sesshoumaru seemed to tune out everything she babbled until she asked suddenly and hesitantly, "What happens when a mortal woman bleeds? What does it mean?" 

            With those questions, Sesshoumaru-sama merely halted in his steps, his pale eyes gazing over the young girl's features as he responded smoothly, "It means that she is a woman, and that she may conceive."

            At his words, Rin felt herself blush, even though she couldn't explain why she would color so, answering with a hushed, "Oh." For some reason, the idea of childbearing was associated with a vague sense of shame. Rin asked no more of the subject and followed her guardian in unusual silence. The worst thing was that this peculiar feeling of shame kept her from inquiring why he wouldn't take her with him on trips any more. She had no wish to know how her becoming a woman and being able to have children would cause Sesshoumaru-sama trouble on the road. 

            The girl was eating voraciously, her usually healthy appetite seeming to have doubled suddenly. At Jaken's scolding, she paused only to stick her tongue out at him and resume her eating. The toad demon grumbled slightly before getting up from his spot, wobbling off on some errand or other. She only stopped once she had gone through her second bowl of porridge, making Sesshoumaru vaguely wonder where she was putting it all away. She was still quite slim, even when she had filled out a little more from when he had first rescued her all those years ago. It had been about five years, hadn't it? He spoke up suddenly, breaking the silence with a low-voiced query, "Girl, how old are you now?"

            Rin blinked slightly before setting the strawberries aside, tilting her chin upwards as she tapped it thoughtfully, "Hmm, you rescued me when I was about seven years old. It's been seven years since then." Doing lightning addition in her head, Rin answered with a smile, "I should be about fourteen by now." She gave him another smile before she went back to demolishing the crimson fruit, her hands reaching out for the honey as she finished off what seemed to be her tenth or eleventh strawberry. Those fingers… they were astonishingly long and slender for a child, making Sesshoumaru gaze into his young ward's face intently for a split second. Had she? Although he was loath to admit it, she had—Rin had started to grow, taking on the shape of a young woman already, her face having lost some of its childish pudginess and the inches she seemed to grow each day. She was still green now, but she held the promise of flowering in her eyes, those dark brown eyes that glimmered with a secret joy. The day of departure would come sooner than he thought.

            "Sesshoumaru-sama?" He abruptly tore himself out of his reverie to face the young girl, his face expressionless as he said, "Yes?"

            "A-ano, I-I've just felt somehow… exhausted, lately. Especially today." She wrinkled her nose as she commented lightly, "It must be that I'm just getting out of shape. I haven't trained for the last few days. Maybe I should—"

            "How long have you felt like this?"

The demon lord's crisp interruption cut through her words like a cold, silver sword thrust, making Rin blink slightly before responding hesitantly, "I think… well, it must have been a week already. Why?"

The odd look Sesshoumaru-sama wore on his face made Rin suddenly uncomfortable—it was intense, almost… engulfing. He lost the look suddenly, replacing it with his usual vacant gaze, "Then you do not remember…"

"Remember what?"

The silver-haired youkai stood up without responding, leaving the young girl in a tumult of thoughts. What had just happened?

Odd happenings seemed to increase as Rin grew. For six months, Sesshoumaru kept shrouded vigil of his young charge, his amber eyes taking calculating measure of everything that she did. She could not only make things levitate when she slept, but she could also make objects "respond" to her. Once in a while, her eyes would cloud suddenly as she absentmindedly focused on an apple before her, or a pitcher across the room. Then she would magnetically pull it towards her, make it tremble like a leaf, or, in the case of the fruit, smash it forcefully until it was reduced to pulp. After each one of these incidents, she would awaken, her eyes lighter as she stared around the room in a daze, often seeing the product of her efforts with surprise and curiosity, "Sesshoumaru-sama, what happened to the apple?" Each day it grew harder to avoid touching the subject of her new extrasensory powers, especially since she seemed to gain an inkling of something out of place, something extraordinary that was occurring in her otherwise normal life. It seemed like she had some power akin to that of his bastard brother's wench, the one who could sense supernatural auras and take her inner ki to charge ordinary objects into formidable weapons. But then again, she had an immense soul, one that he had not expected from a mere mortal. Did Rin possess one alike to that of his brother's bitch? Her power seemed to be more of a clairvoyant kind; the way she levitated and animated her surroundings. He had also noticed that creatures of the forest had started to treat her differently, almost with awe and reverence. What had she cultivated, that it had escaped his notice for so long? As of now, he could not yet diagnose her new condition. All he knew was that as Rin grew and budded, so did her paranormal skills.

            One day; however, all concealment crashed down upon the two of them as Rin came trotting out of her room and plopped herself down by Sesshoumaru's side. She gave him a curious smile before saying, "Look." She outstretched her hand, balling the rest of her fingers so that only her forefinger pointed forwards; settling its direction on the small hat Jaken wore. It trembled slightly, then jerked suddenly, making Jaken start to his feet, squawking his surprise. Rin paid him no attention, merely lifting her finger higher and higher as Sesshoumaru watched, unperturbed. She made it float upwards, hit the ceiling and stick there, like it was charged. She finally lowered her finger, bringing it to drop lightly on Jaken's head, the toad demon still gaping at her with his eyes impossibly wide in amazement. Rin dropped back against the sofa, sweat frosting her forehead as she gave her lord a small, triumphant smile and then fell into a peaceful sleep. As Sesshoumaru looked down upon her impassively, he noted the way she glowed—almost as if she were shining from the after effects of her power. He hesitated before bringing her into his arms and carrying the small girl into her room, his steps light and sure and his body casting a golden light against the sunlight. 

            It was after that afternoon, he assumed, that matters seemed to fall out of themselves; leaving him in the most uncertainty he had ever felt in all of the centuries of his life.

Author's note: I normally write Ruroken fics and had just gotten hooked on InuYasha. I really think the Sesshoumaru+Rin pairing is cute (though that seems to be an uncommon opinion, since all I see on ffnet is Sesshoumaru+Kagome). Sess and Rin seem a little like Aoshi and Misao (my fav. Couple in RK), so the possibility of their future relationship seemed too appealing to pass by. 

The neck of a swan (Grace and Subtlety)

The coils of a snake (Menace and Stealth)

The scales of a fish (Revelations and Reflections)

The horns of a deer (Determination and Strength)

The wings of an eagle (Liberty and Power)

The eyes of a tiger (Sensuality and Persuasion)

The Call of the Wild (Last Chapter)


	2. Hints of Spring

Chapter 1: Hints of Spring

            Troublesome. He knew it from the start. Under the deceptively normal human features, Sesshoumaru had detected something different, something _dormant_. When she had first approached him wounded in the woods all those years ago, her fearlessness towards him apparent in her guileless face, Sesshoumaru had pondered over the reason for her boldness. It was uncharacteristic of any human to cross paths with a youkai, let alone confront one. He had looked at her scrawny features and large, dark eyes and decided that it was due to stupidity. He had refused the "food" she had offered him, almost confident that yes, she was a fool, and accordingly cast her from his mind. But when she had returned bearing marks of the consequences she had suffered for the food she had stolen, bearing yet another meal for him, he had begun to have his doubts. His hasty dismissal of the child had indirectly brought her death, a thought that still put his put his teeth on edge. If Tenseiga had not "called" him to heal the girl, he would probably have left the corpse, unfazed and certainly none the wiser. But he had taken the chance and healed the mortal, an action he still held in surprised regard. When he had healed the human, she lay still for a few moments, her eyes closed, breathing deep and level, and her tangled body repaired. 

Then it happened. At first he thought it was a trick the sunlight played on his eyes, but he swore that he could see her… glow. Pushing aside the phenomenon with a mental shrug, Sesshoumaru told himself that it was probably some side effect of the sword and went on with his business. But when he had revived Jaken months later, he noted that none of the glowing he had seen in Rin followed. A hint, a clue whispered in his mind, nagging his thoughts as he considered what thrust his small protégé apart from the rest. Her fearlessness, and that glowing—there _must_ be a reason for her peculiarity. As it was, he had carried his revived companion with him for the last seven years, counting on the intuitive pull he had towards the girl to prove itself with some advantageous power, some unknown revelation. And when it finally revealed itself, he had not been surprised—no, he had almost been relieved. Her past actions were now deciphered. Her fearlessness? An attribute given due to the presence of the formidable power she unknowingly hosted in her small body. The glowing? It could be possible that with the life he had forced unto her made her spirit erupt; after all, she had undergone the shock of death, only to be jostled back into life. Her soul had probably roared into flame at the Tenseiga's revival, like the way a roasting fire explodes suddenly when oil drips into the hearth. 

He shifted comfortably as he watched the girl sleep, spent up with her last effort to control her paranormal abilities. Her wispy features were illuminated by the soft, powdery moonlight, giving her an otherworldly sheen as she slept in weary silence. And he—he stood over her and stood guard, an ephemeral, ethereal figure of mythical proportions, his pale beauty shining like a beacon in the midnight depths. Then, as sudden as a shaft of light amidst the dark, the tall demon smirked coolly, his mouth curved marginally upwards as his eyes gleamed an amber sheen in the dark. Not only was she explained to him now, but he also could use her to answer for his own instinctive yet uncharacteristically impulsive behavior. His decision to take up the young human was not unfounded; she was not like other mortals, and therefore he was not demeaning himself when he chose to keep her company. He was justified in carrying her around with him, and now no one could dare question the youkai lord, since he had a miko in the making under his claw. The protectiveness he demonstrated towards little Rin was what any youkai would portray towards any of his possessions. Nothing more. 

            What Sesshoumaru didn't take into consideration was that any explanation he concocted for Rin would never truly sum up the parts that made her what she truly was. He still had to learn that a soul could not ever be fully accounted for.

*

She had gone through all the silverware by now. Some bore scars of the battle she had engaged them in, notably the ones she had utilized at the beginning of the great combat, but as the end grew near, fewer and fewer of them were blemished in any way. _Yoshi!_ She cheered herself on, clapping her hands with bubbling glee: _Sesshoumaru-sama will be pleased!_ She had been testing her powers that whole afternoon in a secluded corner of the demon lord's kitchen, going onto the next stage of unleashing her powers. Levitation had been fairly easy to master—with small objects, at least. She had shown Sesshoumaru-sama how much she could lift, and at his curt nod, had asked him if there would be a time in which she could lift herself or other people. The Lord of the Western Lands merely peered down at her through glacial amber eyes and said, "I don't see why not." 

Rin knew it would take some time before she could reach that level of prowess, so she decided to bide her time by expanding the flexibility of her abilities. Mainly, finding other outlets for them. Sure enough, they started to reveal themselves: she had stumbled across another peculiar trick the other day when she was drinking soup. It had turned lukewarm already from the lack of attention she had given it—she was way too absorbed with the spoon to notice. This particular spoon was made of silver, like all the rest, but the slender handle had a mother-of-pearl incasing that shone iridescently, catching the young woman's fancy instantly. She supposed that it was the severity of her concentration that had first made the spoon bend, but when it did, she was so surprised by the change that she nearly fell out of her chair. After spending an hour of forced focus, the spoon wouldn't move, which made her frustrated enough to kick the table's leg angrily, ignoring the mumbling of the kitchen women or the guarded stares of the servants. She finally figured that the spoon would only bend if she focused on its nature in mind, bending it when her will decided its structure could be transformed. Once she had bent the spoon, she grinned with glee, ignoring the sharp gasps of her onlookers, immediately setting her mind to bending the spoon back into shape. That took much more effort than initially bending it out of shape. After going through all of the available spoons, she then turned on to the chopsticks, striving to learn how to alter and mend the small silver figures. After most of the afternoon had passed, she came to this conclusion: it was definitely much easier to distort or destroy things than it was to repair them. Out of all forty spoons and eighty chopsticks, only a handful of them survived her test. Nevertheless, she was pleased with herself and cleaned up her mess with cheerful whistling—she had certainly made good progress this afternoon if she had learned how to more or less control a new branch of her power. She would show Sesshoumaru-sama after dinner. 

            He had heard that the idiot girl had gone and destroyed all the silverware in the cabinet. Shaking his head ruefully, the diminutive toad steward exhaled sharply, rolling his eyes effectively as he hobbled down the halls. He ignored the coquettish twittering of the youkai ladies-in-waiting as he scampered determinedly towards the gardens, the staff of heads in his webbed grip. Throwing open the garden doors with impatience, he stepped outwards, calling out in a raspy voice, "Girl! Get over here!" 

            His ears were met with the light pattering of soft feet against the patio floor and a swirl of pale lavender and ebony tresses as he heard a light, clear timbre, "Coming, Jaken-sama!"

            He looked up at the girl with a practiced look of exasperation and held up a distorted spoon, "Did you do this?"  
            Rin blinked owlishly before she registered the spoon's fine, mother-of-pearl interior and nodded with a bright smile, "Hai!"

            The toad demon let out a sigh and rubbed his temples before cocking his head to the side and squinting at her, "What are you so pleased about? Sesshoumaru-sama will be most displeased with the way you wrecked his silverware!"

            Rin suddenly seemed to be most interested with her nails, inspecting them in the light as she said with a nonchalant tone and barely noticeable smile, "Oh, really? Well, I think he would be more likely to overlook the loss if he found how much I've improved over the last day." With that, she gave the marshy manservant a cheeky wink and a swift grin before plucking the spoon out of his green grasp and said in a hushed tone, "Look." All signs of exasperation and nettled nerves vanished completely as the toad youkai stepped in closer, his eyes large as he waited for the girl's latest trick. He was not to be disappointed. Rin let out a _whoosh_ of breath before glancing at the spoon. Glancing, not gazing. Glancing, not staring. In fact, her eyes settled on the utensil with a perfectly normal expression, almost as if she had happened to look upon it, but within a few seconds, the spoon began to inevitably shift. Jaken let out an undignified squeak, nearly falling over as he saw the spoon reshape itself. That was the last time he ever complained about the oddities she left behind. 

**

            It was the summer of her sixteenth birthday in which he first thrust a weapon into her hands. He had seen with peculiar distaste the way the mortal men near the palace had looked at his ward, and decided that it was time for a long-due change to occur. Rin had been an awkward girl but a few years before, her rapidly growing body shooting up before the rest of her limbs could follow, making her every move seem more restricted as she tangled and untangled herself slowly whenever she moved. It had disarmed him to think that such a free, romping child could suddenly appear so clumsy, but she herself didn't seem to notice much. For a mortal, she spent surprisingly little time pondering over her appearance. There were only a few mirrors situated around the house, and they were fitted in his room, a separate room near the bathing houses and the vast gala room, which she rarely frequented, making her less vain out of habit. _Which_, he reasoned with himself, _is a good thing. If she had become vain, she would also in turn become more insipid and wily_. Neither of which qualities she would ever need or possess, if he could help it. Yet, he couldn't keep her ignorant, either. It was a general fact that his young protégée was filling out and growing more pleasing to the eye as time passed. He found that she had a certain prettiness attuned to the best bred of mortals, which he noted with certain irony, considering her less than pleasing past, and the mortal males certainly hadn't passed by her without noticing this as well. In fact, some of the looks they cast at her were inappropriate, and the demon lord found that he would have to find means to… discourage them. He himself would not deign to waste his time on mortals, so he found it in favor to initiate Rin into the art of self-defense. 

The look in her eyes had nearly halted him in his action when he had handed a slender blade over to the young girl, and he felt himself grimace slightly, trying to dispel the impact those cinnamon eyes had wrought upon him. He acknowledged that she was not a creature of war, nor should she ever face combat, but that didn't hide the fact that she probably would, given the fact that she was under his protection. He was sure that there would be at least one attempt at abduction or murder—he was not a favorite of many men or youkai alike. And it certainly wasn't fair to leave her vulnerable and unable to defend herself, should the situation arise when he would not be able to defend her. With that, Sesshoumaru decided his reasoning was solid and firmly pressed the handle into her yielding, open hand. 

His unfathomable golden gaze reached out to her as he said simply, "This may come into use at some time. Learn to wield it well." 

With that, he gave her one last searing look before nodding to a figure hidden in the shadows. Rin looked over at who he had nodded to with wide, curious eyes, only to blink harder, her interest captivated to such a great extent that she didn't even register the silent departure of her lord. The youkai that had slipped away from the wall was one of the most beautiful and captivating of all demons she had ever had the chance to meet. Her cold, gleaming turquoise scales caught light, casting an aquatic sheen over her as she sauntered over. Her eyes were a chilling violet, her skin tinged a faint green-blue that intensified into turquoise as it expanded over her body. She had the limbs of a mortal, but her hair was an unearthly indigo and she had webbed hands and feet. The ethereal creature gave Rin a curt nod before murmuring in a smooth, fluid voice that hinted of the trickling of streams and brooks: "I am called Mizuko, and I will be your instructor from now on."

            Rin could only nod, flabbergasted as she met her instructor's cold scrutiny with an open perusal of her own. The reptile youkai made a distinct sound with her tongue that sounded like the cracking of stones on a river bend as she gave the young woman a dry grin, "Well, at least I can see that you're not as feebleminded or weak willed as many other mortals are. I guess you'll have to do." With that, the exotic female gave a quick jerk of her chin and gestured for Rin to come closer, "We will start with your posture, girl."

            Using her power would be like a crutch—she would become to reliant on her abilities, thus making her all the more vulnerable if she were to be robbed of them. Rin knew the wisdom behind her lord's choice when he first handed her the dagger. The only thing she could do was look up at him and wonder what had taken him so long to come to that decision. Whatever the case was, she wasn't bothered. In fact, she was exhilarated. Mizuko was a dexterous, awe-inspiring instructor, her stance graceful in the true sense of the word and her movements like smooth, teal liquid. She was swift, accurate—deadly. Rin knew with the ample common sense she had inherited that she would never reach the acuity the lizard youkai had, but she could aspire to create an imitation of her deadly art. With focused concentration, Rin pushed aside her internal, paranormal powers as she focused on tuning her body. She would reach equilibrium. 

            The girl had improved a lot. That was a given. As he watched her perform an intricate formation for him, he saw just how much her lessons had made her learn, but what had caught his eye was not the accuracy of her moves, nor the strength with which she dealt them. No, it was the fire that simmered like liquid heat in her russet gaze. It was passion, in its most unbridled and unkempt of stages. Not the kind of passion that filled a person with lust, nor the temperamental gust of feeling that the hot-blooded emitted—no, it was a disciplined yet raw fervor, one that stood akin to determination and spirit. She was not to be underestimated. Slowly, he felt the corners of his mouth shift as his lips curved. It was a slight smirk, but it was enough to wind the young woman when she stopped her routine to find her lord watching her with a peculiar expression. 

            That expression. Instead of making her drop her gaze or say something, it only made her stare harder. It sucked her in, tossing her into the depths that made up Sesshoumaru-sama. It was rapacious, to say the least. Almost as if he had been looking at something with sharp recognition and kindled anticipation… watching, waiting. She would not ask him what he meant by that look. She was sure it would only serve to confuse her further. Rin let the small sword slip from her hands—the exhibition was over. Sesshoumaru's gaze flickered from her face as he saw the flawless blade float gently to the floor, fluttering as if it were a feather that had drifted to the floor.

***

            The passing of her seventeenth summer solstice had just started out like any ordinary day. Rin had been idly making flower petals levitate to amuse her friends Sanami and Mitsuri. They had at first retreated from their idle days of childhood banter at the hooded fear of their parents, but when they discovered that Rin had a good grip on her "gift" and tended to use it for more or less non-destructive matters, they felt less menaced by the lord's girl and allowed their children to flock to her again, even greeting her with timid smiles or greetings when the occasion came along. Sesshoumaru did not note upon these changes, simply allowing Rin to handle her own matters. Within months, she had regained her friends' confidence, weaving their friendship closer so that they passed adolescence in a tight-knit circle of comfort. None of her friends begrudged her status or her powers, accepting their limitations with surprising wisdom that went beyond their age. But Sesshoumaru supposed that Rin would only surround herself with those worthy of her companionship—in both mind and spirit. He had figured out a month ago that Rin was privately educating four of her mortal friends, giving them lessons on the sly. Sesshoumaru's expression became one of marginally dry amusement: it was very like Rin do do such a thing. Just like how very like Rin it was to use her gift for such trifles as her friends' entertainment. 

            The aforementioned young lady reclined lazily against the vivid grass, nearly drowned in flower petals as she smiled rosily at her friends who giggled at the petal bashing they were receiving. 

            "Mou, Rin-san! That tickles!"

            "T-that's not fair! You've got the upper hand!"

            Despite all her efforts to persuade them otherwise, her two friends would not ever refer to her as anything more informal than Rin-san. After years of trying, Rin simply settled for that term of address, knowing that they were much more fond of her than the title formality would ever betray. Indeed, the joy they expressed in their voices whenever they talked to her made her think that even –san had an affectionate ring to her ears. After all, even she had her distinctions. She never seemed to be able to call her guardian anything other than Sesshoumaru-sama. She grinned at the thought of calling the impassive Lord of the Western Lands anything other than what was due to him, especially when she took her situation into mind. By the way the youkai ladies-in-waiting took to simpering whenever she was around, she knew that they were at a loss as to how they should treat her. In fact, nearly all but a handful of people were sure on what she really was to the great dog demon. Her grin grew into a full-fledged smirk—she must be a sore spot to many. The smirk dropped immediately when she pondered the next question in her mind: was she a sore spot for Sesshoumaru-sama as well? She tended to think not—even if she caused more work than she was worth, she knew that her lord had reasons for keeping her by his side for so long. Her expression took on a reflective, mildly grave expression: if the time came when he asked her to depart, she would. She owed him this much respect. If he tired of her company or desired her removal, she would swallow her pride and love and leave him be. 

            "Rin-san…"

            "Hmm?" The young woman cocked her head to her right lazily, looking at her two friends with an easy smile on her face. 

            "I've never seen you change your expression so many times in such little time. What are you thinking of?"

            "That," Rin said with an uncharacteristic frown flitting across her features, "is I'm going to keep to myself."

            Mitsuri flushed, but Sanami tossed her head and said with a devilish grin: "So, I hear that Aeijin-kun's been acting pretty aggressive, eh Rin?"

           Rin narrowed her eyes, her cheeks still tinted at the memory. Aejin-kun had been a little… too forward the other day. He was the only mortal Lord's son that resided at the castle currently. It was under the general impression of Sesshoumaru's court that the lord was to pair the two of them together in matrimony. Or, as the dog youkai knew it, mating. Why else would he keep an entire mortal family in his courts without condemning them to servitude like he had done to the others? She had definitely not liked the way the young lordling had stroked her when he had passed by in the hallway, almost as if she were a pet or a possession. She would try not to think about it, and she would most definitely not tell Sesshoumaru-sama about it. Sure, he was an idiot for a lord's son, but he didn't deserve death at the hands of Sesshoumaru-sama; it would be too cruel. But, considering the incident with another blooming flush, she couldn't help but think he deserved it… sort of.

            Rin suddenly turned on her friend with a wink before she lifted her hand up abruptly, causing a gust of petals to flush up under the girl's working kimono and lift her skirts.

            "Rin!" Sanami turned red with dismay as battled to keep her skirts down and turned to glare at the lord's ward who was presently rolling on the ground with laughter. A faint gleam settled in the servant girl's eye as she turned on the laughing girl and said, "So _that's_ how it is, eh?" Rin stopped laughing abruptly, looking up at her friend with a most sober look. Sanami dropped to her knees rapidly and fell on her friend, tickling her frantically, "Here's a dose of your own medicine!"

            Rin fell into a violent fit of laughter under her friend's oh-so-careful ministrations, and both of them were so wrapped up in the act that they didn't hear Mitsuri stammer a warning. It was only when Mitsuri prodded Sanami deliberately in the gut that they noticed who was standing over them in the afternoon sunlight.

            "Ja-Jaken-sama," Rin managed to breath out as she gasped and wheezed, "Koni-konichi wa."

            The exasperated toad only gazed down at the three girls who were all tangled together, a mess of limbs and dark spilling hair, "Meet Sesshoumaru-sama upstairs in ten minutes."

            Rin nodded and got up in an effort to disentangle herself, only to trip over Mitsuri's heel and fall back into the heap with a yelp. Jaken only rolled his eyes before he turned huffily and walked towards the fortress office, ignoring the noise and mess the stupid mortal had gotten herself into.

His office was cool and polished in every degree, spaciously set and wonderfully designed, truly befitting for a demon lord of his high caliber and sense. Rin liked this part of the manor best, and had always felt the itching urge to go and unravel the place, to unearth all the secrets her protector held inside. She knew that he would like nothing of the sort; however, so she always was at her best behavior whenever he summoned for her from there. Well, _nearly_ always.

"Did you call for me, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Her voice… he had grown to memorize that clear, windswept voice throughout the years. It had grown considerably deeper, molding with her ever-changing mortal body. Seriously, did these mortals ever stay still for a moment? Just when he thought he had her figured out, she would shift on him, changing his perspective on her with every little sneaky inch she gained or any little new whim she acquired. It was just as well—she was the only person who never bored him. 

"Rin, I will be out for the next three days." She merely cocked her head to the side, asking with those brown eyes of hers for a reason. Sesshoumaru pretended that he didn't see her silent inquiry. With a sigh, she settled down—she wasn't one to press her lord for answers; if he was unwilling to share his business, she would leave it at that. 

"Very well, my lord." 

The silver-maned youkai merely arched a brow at this unnecessary formality and noticed that she was fidgeting quite uneasily with her hair as she sat, refusing to meet his eyes. Sighing, the dog demon brought a hand to rest against the nape of his neck and asked, "What is the matter, Rin?"

Rin winced—how was it that he sniffed her out every single time? She honestly couldn't ever keep secrets from him, which both comforted and peeved her to no end: "It's nothing much, really; nothing that I can't solve, anyway." It wasn't like she was going to tell him about Aejin-kun—she could already imagine her guardian's reaction. And she needed no complications as it was. 

Sesshoumaru-sama only blinked languidly at her, which made Rin nearly exhale in relief as she stood up to leave—_whew. He bought it_. But in a flash, he was out of his chair and standing before her, his amber orbs burning into her petrified gaze: "You're not telling the truth."

Rin hastily leaned back in an attempt to gain more ground before she could come up with a legitimate fib, forgetting that there was a chair behind her. She accidentally bumped against it clumsily and lost her balance, her arms flailing as she reached over and grabbed the closest thing to her—Sesshoumaru-sama's hair. She heard a low growl of sorts as she clung onto him; unaware that her grip was weakening as whatever she had latched onto slipped downwards. The slight adolescent looked over her shoulder in an attempt to regain her footing. Out of instinct, the demon lord had wrapped an arm around Rin's waist, cinching it easily within his grasp as he effectively pulled her to him. When she was sure she had both of her feet firmly planted on the ground, she turned around to face the white-haired demon with an apologetic smile: "Er, gomen ne… I'm so clums—!" She was inches away from his hovering face. Rin was sure that she had violated his sense of private space, and attempted to retract, blushing furiously as she stammered, "I-I'm so… Se-Sesshoumaru-sama. Agh, no, that's not what I mean. I-I…" 

The dog demon, who had been peering quite intently into the young woman's face, interrupted smoothly, "Now, if you would let go of my hair…" as he gestured meaningfully at the fistful of glossy hair she held as she attempted to withdraw. Rin dropped her death-grip on his silver mane automatically as if it had burned her and stepped back with alarming alacrity, leaning hastily back against his hold on her. Sesshoumaru suddenly seemed to realize something as he let go of his young protégée, his grim expression contrasting greatly with Rin's skittish one. He turned so that his back faced her and said in a low, steady voice, "Just be careful next time."

Rin swallowed rather noisily as she attempted to scoot out of the office: "H-hai!" Once she was out of the office, she lost all restraint and bolted for her room, her head spinning at the last incident, only to realize later on that she hadn't even said goodbye properly before he left for his trip.

And that was the last time she saw him intact.


	3. The Unraveling

Chapter 2: The Unraveling

The toad demon had been expecting her for an inconceivable amount of time. The marshy creature inclined his head with a well-practiced sigh of irritation as he tugged at his small hat: _Since when did my responsibilities by Sesshoumaru-sama's side get shifted to babysitting?_

_Well_, he thought, reasoning for his lord in turn, _if my lord were off on another short trek, it would only make sense that he would leave lady Rin under the vigilance of his most trusted servant_. Under this flattering line of reasoning, Jaken puffed his chest out in pride, holding the staff of heads closer to him in what he hoped would seem like a more noble stance when he noticed his "charge" running over towards him, her midnight black hair fluttering all over her face.

"Ah, Jaken-sama! Gomen ne, I lost track of the time!"

Rin halted a short distance from the diminutive demon, her chest heaving from the amount of running she had done. She had been visiting her lord's demonic aviary, the evidence of which crowned her hair—brilliant, assorted youkai feathers littered her dark tresses.

            "Humph, I'm sure you did, being so dimwitted as you are." 

            At this, the young woman stuck her tongue out at the toad demon as she scampered over and gave him a slight squeeze, "Ah, did you miss me, Jaken-sama?"

            Jaken answered with a snort: "Miss a lackadaisical, curious lass like you? I'd think not."

            Rin let out a little giggle as she brought her slender hands up to calmly remove the feathers that nestled in her hair, "Oh, don't be such a stiff!"

            Jaken opened his mouth to respond, but stopped abruptly when he saw Rin look ahead, her eyes squinting as she stood frozen in her spot. Jaken followed her line of vision to see something that silenced him in its utter direness.  

             The grotesque scene collided into their eyes, glaring scarlet hues staining their sight as the two regarded the splintered, torn bodies strewn over the courtyard with ashen surprise. Jaken took a few tremulous steps back, his voice lowering to utter a few stuttered curses. Rin blinked twice consecutively before pitching forward onto her knees, and retched violently. Once she had emptied her stomach, Rin mentally suppressed the tears that threatened to overflow, bringing a surprisingly steady hand to slowly wipe her mouth. Jaken was still too stunned to do anything other than stand immobile and drop the occasional incoherent word or two. Rin exhaled headily before heaving herself onto her feet, walking slow yet firm steps towards the carnage that had tainted her lord's dwelling grounds. Her eyes darkened fractionally as she let out harsh breaths, trying to still the raging emotions under her deceptively calm exterior. She had never felt feelings of this extent, nor of this dark foundation. The young girl halted by a huddle of bodies, recognizing some of the clothes or remaining facial features—the human slaves she had grown fond of. She swallowed with a slight shudder when she saw a small, slender arm jut out from underneath the pile, a thin, bloody weaved bracelet clinging to the wearer's arm in a bath of blood. Rin felt a bitter taste in the back of her mouth, recognizing the fallen child: _Sanami-chan_… 

The two of them had woven the bracelets with thread one afternoon, giggling girlishly over the fruits of their labor. Sanami-chan had been the one to suggest that they exchange armlets, as a sign of friendship. Rin barely knew the concept of companionship, and had complied readily, tossing the armlet into the array of baubles and trinkets she had collected over the year with easy insouciance. She had not expected Sanami-chan to keep on wearing the simple gift, especially after she had come out "strangely" with her new abilities. She had expected Sanami-chan to retreat under her parent's fearful pressure permanently; after all, who wanted their child to associate with a demon-raised human with supernatural powers? But she suspected that she did catch a glimpse of this bond, this… friendship; the pounding of her heart had filled her head, granting her no relief as she plodded blindly onward.

            The sound of fierce wind slashing and the metallic clanging of weapons rang in Rin's ears, and the heavy feeling of loss she had felt in one moment was replaced by an emotion that overshadowed her previous one by tenfold. _Sesshoumaru-sama_… she thought with a jolt, tugging her skirts aside with a hasty brush of her hand as she debated over what to do. If it really was Sesshoumaru-sama, he would be most displeased with her if she presented herself in front of his adversary, whoever it may be—that would give the enemy a chance to use her against him. Likewise, if the fighting that was going on inside wasn't between Sesshoumaru and an opponent, then she would just be attracting unwanted attention and endangering herself needlessly. Oh, but her heart! It cried out to her demon guardian, demanding to know if he was alive and well. Rin wordlessly clenched her fists and looked down to Jaken, who admirably seemed to have gathered his wits this time around as he held the staff of heads over the two of them, shielding them silently. The old toad youkai gazed up at his lord's ward and slightly shook his head, his raspy voice one of restraint and anxiety: "No, Rin. Sesshoumaru-sama would never forgive me if I allowed you to get yourself killed."

            At this, Rin couldn't help but give a grim smile, even at the severity of the moment: "Oh, and no affections for me would keep you from letting me go?"

            The manservant cast an exasperated glare at the young woman: "Hush, mortal! I have no time for your silly word games."

            Rin was about to retort when a side of the fortress disintegrated in front of her eyes. Literally. Rin gaped unrestrainedly at the huge gape that now scarred the impressive castle, her eyes impossibly wide in her small, face. So much for her useless moment of inner debate—the fight would come to her, whether she liked it or not. A bloodstained figure emerged from the ruins of one of the towers, and the young human felt her heart leap at the hope of seeing her demon lord, only to plummet straight down to her bowels. This was most certainly not her lord. The creature… no person, she concluded decidedly, possessed chiseled features that rivaled her lord's, but where her lord had an abundant mane of silver, this person had a fountain of glistening ink-black hair pinned back by a simple, golden clasp. The creature seemed to sense her presence, for it fluidly turned its head to peer over at her from its shoulder, revealing stunning features and glowing, green eyes. Rin nearly gasped at the extent of the individual's beauty. Her gaze fell from the person's sardonic, knowing smirk to the broad shoulders that filled out the bloodstained armor, to his sinewy, lithe arms, one of which held… She gasped again, but this time out of horrid realization: this creature… this man—he had severed Sesshoumaru-sama's arm! At the desolate sight of her guardian's borrowed, foreign arm held limply and carelessly in the clutches of this rather ethereal aggressor was more than Rin could handle. The mortal girl dropped to the ground like a leaden weight. 

            For a moment, all was quiet. The strange figure by the towers stood in absolute silence, and Jaken could not seem to move the few paces that separated him from his lord's mortal. Then, a subtle but persistent ringing sound pervaded the air. The ringing grew shriller and heavier at the moment, making the pressure horrible to withstand. Jaken's ears began to throb as he watched in wide-eyed horror—the female's body was glowing an unearthly hue. Cacophony arose from the surrounding forest, and the toad manservant noticed with morbid perception that several birds had fallen to the floor, twitching under the pressure of such torturous sounds. Then, as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. The glow emitted from Rin's body began to subside, a healthier sheen replacing the eerie verdant glow from earlier. **__**

_Keh_, thought the toad minion as he threw a panicked look at his lord's protégée, a hand still covering a tender ear, _pathetic humans_. It seemed like the rest was left to him. He had not been blind—he saw way the youkai was now regarding the fallen Rin. With voracious, barely concealed interest. Frankly, the toad demon had no clue about the condition of his lord, but judging from the arm that dangled limply in the youkai's loose grip, he was not faring well. Yet, Jaken stood firmer than he had ever stood before. If his lord had passed away, he would have sensed it. This fact gave the minute demon more hope than any other, and he stepped forward into his line of duty with no hesitance, drawing the staff of heads over the girl as he watched the striking youkai make his way towards them.

**

She awoke to an uncomfortable sense of pounding in her head. Her chest felt like she had pressure applied to it, making her gasp in her breath as she instinctively clawed the surface of the ground. A low, rumbling sound filled her ears as the young girl opened her eyes with effort, feeling slightly cheated. Rin froze suddenly, her hazy eyes registering the moving earth before her. There before her stood the eerily beautiful youkai from before, but her eyes were not latched onto his figure, but rather at the violence of the ambiance around her. The trees were swaying powerfully, dancing to the howling wind as the earth itself seemed to quake, the small pebbles scattered here and there on the pathway trembling. She was only reminded of her captor's presence once more when she felt herself get pulled roughly to her feet and tossed over one shoulder: "Stop this nonsense, wench."

At his words, Rin looked over her shoulder and up at him owlishly, still blinking away the last remnants of sleep-enhanced wonder. Almost at once, the earth was stilled. _Odd_, she thought to herself, _does he really know it was me? I'm not even sure if I have the power to make the earth react in such a manner_. 

But not only did the stranger seem to hold her powers in such regard, but he also seemed to treat it in a nonchalant manner, as if such occurrences were not beyond his prowess. 

Well, if he could handle the supernatural without even batting an eyelash, Rin was sure she could as well. After all, she was the suspected wielder of such powers, right? Concentrating on her surroundings, Rin wondered absentmindedly how it was that she came to distinguish her guardian's lands from all others. Perhaps it was intuition, or perhaps it was a cultivated sense of what made Sesshoumaru. His lands, after all, concocted a part of him, no matter how little he wished to be bound to such matters. She winced with dismay once she looked around—the woods were by no means familiar. They had officially stepped out of her Lord's lands. 

Rin cocked her head upwards as she attempted to remember what had come to pass and then desperately tried to dispel it when she had flashing recollections of Sesshoumaru-sama's destroyed fortress, the remnants of her human friends and the sight of the noble youkai's borrowed arm dangling out of the stranger's grasp. She shuddered, her eyes dark with anguish. How had the heathen youkai managed to get a hold of Sesshoumaru-sama? Hadn't he been out on another trip? He couldn't be… no; he wasn't. She rammed her nails into her kidnapper's prone flesh again, demanding in a tight, pained voice, "Let me down, now." 

            The person stopped, saying simply in a low, smooth, masculine voice, "As you wish" before dropping her promptly on the ground. 

Rin landed hard on her bottom, a scowl marring her clear features as she stood up and brushed off her kimono imperturbably. He stood a few feet away, his arms akimbo as he calmly looked ahead, his long ebony hair rustling in the breeze. Rin glared at the elegantly dressed figure, her hair falling into her eyes as she sighed and took a ribbon out from inside of her obi. She then casually gathered her hair and tied it up into a ponytail, hints of pale flesh peeking from her sleeves as her slender wrists dealt with her unruly locks. By the time she was finished, Rin noticed that her captor's eyes were focused onto her, watching as she dropped her arms slowly to her side. She gave him a dry half-smile before asking off-handedly, "Where are we headed to?"

He turned to face her fully, his jade eyes flashing into the clear blue day. Faint golden marks graced his jaw line and Rin noticed that when he moved towards her, hints of the same golden iridescence shone in his skin under the shifting sunlight. He was of youkai origin, that she was sure of. He stood several inches away from her, looking down at her through gilded lashes and a straight nose, taking her in with those emerald orbs. Rin felt her breath catch—she had never been so close to such a perfect being. Sesshoumaru-sama, who was by no means less fair, had always commanded a certain restraint, and Rin had grown to acknowledge it with respect, keeping her proper distance from him at all times. But this demon had no such restraints, and was currently dissecting her through his cold, imperious eyes with a slightly insidious curl to his lips. He then let his gaze wander up and down her figure, making her blush at his blatant perusal of her, only to turn a deeper shade of scarlet when he shrugged carelessly and said, "Not yet worth any… interest. Well, at least he knew what he was doing when he picked you out. Not a mere mortal—you have the makings of a miko, and a damn powerful one at that." Before Rin thought her thoughts couldn't get any more jumbled, the striking demon murmured, "You'll have to do."

Rin shivered unconsciously, wrapping her arms around her—she wasn't ever sure if she wanted to be seen as "interesting" by the likes of him. 

"We," he said as he turned to walk on, looking over his shoulder with poised beauty, "are headed towards the Northern lands. You are my property now, wench."

Rin returned his gaze, shrugging as she tossed her hair over her shoulder as she followed his long tread with her own awkward strides. She refused to seem like she feared this demon; she was sure Sesshoumaru-sama would find her soon enough. She wouldn't even bother to correct him and tell him her name—why bother, especially since Sesshoumaru-sama would soon restore her under his vigilance?  Yet Rin knew this particular youkai was stronger than the rest she had faced with her lord, and would therefore not go down without a fight. He walked with an underlying grace and power, his muscles rippling under his elegant robes as he strode onward, his hair rippling like waves down his back. There simply was no need for him to threaten her; it would be a waste of energy and time telling her things he was sure she could sense on her own. Yes, she was sure that Sesshoumaru-sama would come for her. But the image of her guardian's separated arm and the subtle strength of this new enemy made Rin simmer with hidden worry nonetheless—he would be an infinitely more formidable opponent than any other they had faced before. 

Pushing aside any troubling thoughts of the future, Rin resolved to concern herself about the present. She had to ponder about her companions' survival. She lacked the advanced skills of a youkai, so she couldn't be sure if her lord and the toad steward had died or not. Yet she was confident that if they had, she would have sensed it. They meant all the world to her; there would be no way they could have passed away without her knowing it. They must be alive. With that issue settled, Rin walked behind her captor with a resolute step, her hair bobbing cheerfully as she kept her rhythm. _And yet_, her mind nagged, _you saw Sesshoumaru-sama's arm… it was amputated from the rest of his body. How can you be sure of his continued existence?_ Rin shook her head, refusing to dwell on that particular possibility. The thought that her lord and Jaken-sama had survived was the only one that allowed her to keep this façade of brave detachment up. If she thought they were dead, she certainly wouldn't be able to head towards unknown lands with such determination. 

The girl had intrigued him more than he would ever let on. To emit such indifference, she must have great control over her emotions. The lord of the Northern lands smirked slightly, remembering the confrontation he had with the dog lord. Sesshoumaru had been pressed to fight, and his skills were not on par with what lord Tetsuyo had expected. Perhaps he had been holding back; that would explain many uncertainties. Yes, he must have been holding back—he would not risk fighting in his full glory if he thought his ward was too near. The peculiar relationship the demon lord maintained with his rapidly growing human protégée had been much pondered about, and many of the youkai around his lands had been wondering if the formidable dog demon had gone a little… soft. But then again, if _she_ was indeed the little mortal he had been carrying around, then he found it not surprising in the least that Sesshoumaru had gotten a tad infatuated with the little woman. She had an incredible spirit—one that he saw could be barely restrained in the rapidly budding body she had at the moment. Not only had she taken her kidnapping with polished ease, but she had also managed to keep his rapid pace, her human body not yet showing any signs of fatigue, even after four hours of trailblazing. Turning his head slightly, the jade-eyed demon watched his captive walk in tempo to his steps, her head bowed and her doe-like brown eyes deep with thought. He wondered vaguely what was going through the girl's cute, mortal head before she looked up suddenly, her effulgent dark eyes clashing with his vivid, verdant ones. She gave him a saucy look before he returned the favor, his own mouth pulled up into a smirk—yes, she would definitely be worth breaking into.

Author's note: And you're probably wondering where our dear Sesshoumaru-sama is during this all? Romance will come some time soon (I can't rush it! Rin still isn't more than fourteen! It stinks of pedophilia…)

And Jaken? You'll find out…

Thanks to those who reviewed! It's very encouraging, to say the least.

I had totally forgotten about this chapter. It had been sitting in my laptop for about a month, and when I decided I wanted to update this fic, I found it sitting there; it only needed a few touch-ups and corrections, and that was it. Sorry for my lack of attention… ^_^


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